Improvement in barbed fence-wires



M. S. HARSHA.

BARBED FENCE WIRE. V No. 179,555. Patented July 4,1876.

imitmmm mummy: FM; cLXW-Jk. MWJAMZ/ part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view .UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIOE.

MORTIMER s. IIARsHA', or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MARK e. OOLLSON, or SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN B ARBED FENCE-WIRES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,555, dated July 4, 1876 application filed January 12, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MORTIMER S. HARSHA, of Chicago, in'the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Wire Fences, of which the following is a specification In the accompanying drawing, forming a of my improved fence-barb while in the flat. Fig. 2 is a front view, and Fig. 3 is a side view, of the same as it appears when attached to the fence-wire.

Like letters of reference made use of in the several figures indicate like parts wherever used.

Referring to said drawing, the letter A represents the barb, which, as there shown, is out from sheet metal, with two points at one end, one at each corner, and one at the center of the other end. By givingthem this form- I am enabled to cut them from the sheet without waste of material. As illustrated by the drawing, each barb-blank is perforated with a longitudinal slot, 0, and the central part of it is then given a U-shaped bend, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which is intended to fit the fence-wire snugly. The slot 6 should be of such length that after the bend has been made and the barb has been placed upon the wire there will be room in the ends of the slot and back of the wire for the'entrance of a wedge-shaped key, 70, which is driven in across the line of the wire, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,,passing through both the slot ends. I have found that ordinary nails answer the purpose of the key very well.

A further peculiarity of the slots lies in the lateral enlargements e e, the purpose whereof is to make an opening which shall expose the fence-wire upon the side opposite the keys k, so that when a sufficiently large key is used it may be forced in with sufficient power to form a bight in the fence-wire at the point of such exposure. Slipping of the barb upon the wire may thus be avoided.- The barbs may be given the bend shown by the manufacturer, and they can then be affixed to the Wire by unskilled labor, and without the use of machinery or tools other than suchas can be found in every farm-house.

' What 1 claim as new is-- The sheet-metal barb, provided with the. longitudinal slot 66, bent as described, so

that it may embrace the fence-wire and be secured thereon by a key inserted behind or under the wire and through the ends of the slot, substantially as specified.

The above specification signed by me this 8th day of July, 1875. 

